Molded buckets often have an outwardly projecting flange of increased wall thickness extending around their rims. Additionally, molded buckets may have a second flange, spaced from the rim, which may be used to provide hoop strength to the open end of the bucket, and also may be the site on which a bail handle may be attached by one of various means available to the industry.
To mold such a bucket, it has been typically necessary to provide "side action", i.e., a sideways moving portion in the outer mold half which can participate in the defining of the portion of the mold cavity that forms the rim, and then can move sideways out of the way to permit the newly molded bucket to be removed from the mold core. Such side action is particularly needed when the mold cavity forms a second flange in the bucket which is spaced from the rim. In this circumstance, the side action is necessary to free the outwardly projecting rim of the bucket for removal. Traditionally, such a bucket could not be molded in the absence of side action.
By this invention, apparatus is provided for molding buckets or any other objects which have on outwardly projecting annular section while eliminating the need for side action. This has significant advantages. First, the side action adds to the expense of the mold in a significant way. Secondly, the side action may be the first part of the mold to wear out. Thus elimination of the side action mechanism provides a longer lasting mold which, of course, results in a significant decrease in the per unit cost of articles molded therein.